Reading v Liverpool isn't as big as the Newcastle fixture

Liverpool come to Madejski Stadium on Saturday in the FA cup third round

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More than 900 loyal Royals travelled to watch an inept Reading team get destroyed by another poor side at Home Park.

But thousands of fans have had to endure second-rate performances all season after Reading’s ruthless cloth-cutting this summer.

The sacking of manager Brendan Rodgers still doesn’t add up if you look at the bigger picture and move away from the league position, the only reason for doing it appears to be financial.

Rodgers had just started to impose his stamp on the team and Reading were finally playing the style of football he was after, but little of that was seen at Plymouth.

Caretaker boss Brian McDermott struggled to get his team firing on all cylinders and the player’s hearts just didn’t look in it from the start of the game.

Jobi McAnuff, who thrived under Rodgers and was the team’s star-performer during the Northern Irishman’s tenure, looked off the pace against Argyle and Paulo Sousa’s Swansea City on Boxing Day.

The 28-year-old winger will be key to Reading’s Championship survival this season.

During the 4-1 humiliation by QPR at Loftus Road in October the fans turned on Rodgers, but in deepest darkest Devon they had no one to vent their frustrations at.

Aside from the inevitable boos at the end of the game fans were also left with a bitter taste in their mouth as their team trudged off the pitch at the final whistle without even acknowledging the supporters.

Even though chief scout McDermott has insisted that he isn’t the cheap choice if he were to be given the job on a full-time basis, it will be hard to convince the fans that his appointment isn’t about cost-cutting.

Darren Ferguson has openly declared his interest in the Royals job as has Lawrie Sanchez.

Alan Curbishley is another man looking to get back into the game and if Reading aren’t interviewing candidates for the job at this time, then they should at least come out and declare their short-term and long-term plans to the fans as soon as possible.

It looks like Sir John Madejski is going to give McDermott time to convince the board that he and assistant Nigel Gibbs are capable of saving the club from relegation to League One.

Rodgers transformed Watford’s fortunes and saved them from the drop with no managerial experience when he went to Vicarage Road in November last year, only time will tell if McDermott is capable of a Royals great escape.

Win or draw against Liverpool on Saturday and McDermott will be a hero. But the biggest game for Reading in 2010 is against Championship leaders Newcastle United at the Mad Stad on January 9.